Kruger pleads guilty, faces 9 years in jail

He’s resigned his Senate seat, and now Carl Kruger, a Democrat from South Brooklyn, will face 9-11 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges.

Kruger and his close friend, Michael Turano, signed plea agreements this afternoon in federal court — Kruger pleaded guilty to four counts and Turano to one. Kruger admitted to performing official favors for clients of lobbyist Richard Lipsky in exchange for cash payments that were funneled through entities controlled by Turano.

According to the agreement, Kruger faces the prison time as well as restitution of between $15,000 and $150,000 for his crimes. He and Turano each agreed to forfeit $450,000 of their ill-gotten gains.

“As Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Carl Kruger stood near the apex of political power in New York State,” said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. “With Senator Kruger’s guilty plea today, yet another lawmaker-turned-lawbreaker has now been removed from an undeserved position of power in Albany. Instead of serving the people who elected him, Senator Kruger monetized his public office and served himself. The people of New York expect, deserve and demand honesty and integrity from their public servants. We will not pause in our fight to hold New York’s representatives accountable for violating the public’s trust, no matter how difficult the challenges presented.”

Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson said, “This closes a sad chapter for the people of Mr. Kruger’s district and proves that no one is above the law. Restoring faith, trust and confidence in government must be our first priority.”

Kruger will be sentenced next year. It’s unclear if Gov. Andrew Cuomo will call for a special election to fill the remainder of his term. (UPDATE: His spokesman Josh Vlasto issued an unspecific statement on the topic. “The Governor will take the appropriate steps to ensure New Yorkers in the 27th district are represented in the State Senate,” he said.)